More than 40 contractors on Tuesday held officials of the Ministry of Police Affairs in Abuja hostage, as they protested against unnecessary delay in the payment of N7.4 billion debt owed them for executing nearly 2,720 projects awarded by the Police Ministry.
Huhuonline.com understands that the contractors who were visibly angry locked the gates of the Ministry’s premises and holding the Director of Finance and Administration (DFA), Mr. Adewale Karaki, hostage, in absence of the Minister of Police Affairs, Caleb Olubolade.
The aggrieved contractors who also threatened to deposit the corpse of one of their colleagues who died in Abuja on Monday at the Ministry’s premises, demanded for immediate payment of the money owed them by the Ministry.
The contractors who claimed that 11 of their colleagues have died while waiting for payment, alleged that the Ministry officials have deliberately refused to issue the payments and instead.
It however took the intervention of a detachment of armed security operatives, led by ASP Momodu, to secure the release of the DFA, after a directive was issued to the Ministry officials to expedite action on the payment of debts below N4 million.
